Houthi-fired missile narrowly misses hitting Russian oil carrier

A ship hauling Russian oil had a narrow miss with a missile fired from Yemen, as vessels increasingly dodge the Red Sea following airstrikes on Houthi rebels. 

A missile landed between 400 and 500 meters away from a ship in the Gulf of Aden, and was also followed by three small boats, according to the UK Navy. The vessel was likely the Khalissa and was carrying oil from the Russian port of Ust-Luga, said Ambrey Analytics, which provides intelligence to merchant ships. 

Since early November, Houthi rebels have been attacking merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, with tensions intensifying on Friday when the US and UK bombed a series of targets inside Yemen. As a result many merchant ships have decided to either pause their transits through the Red Sea to wait for security to improve, or to sail thousands of miles around Africa to avoid the dangerous waters. 

The vessel was previously owned by UK-based company Union Maritime, meaning its likely it was attacked in a case of mistake identity, Ambrey said.